


The Aberration

by NarnianHobbit



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-05-31 02:01:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15109487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NarnianHobbit/pseuds/NarnianHobbit
Summary: Gally had a system that he stuck with no matter what. When he saw something he didn't like, he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion. To him, everything had to be in perfect order or else his entire day would be off.Then a girl, of all things, had  to show up in the maze instead of the usual greenie box and throw off his entire game. He decides to befriend her despite the unease he feels.Because wasn't there that saying to "keep your friends close but your enemies closer?"





	1. Chapter 1

Voices. There were voices overlapping one another all around her. She blinks and a sharp white light from above her, stings her eyes. 

"She's awake." 

Someone curses under their breath somewhere near her. 

Where was she? She tenses as she notices more and more people in the room with strange beeping machines beside them. 

"Hey, hey, don't move, it's alright," a girl is speaking to her. 

The girl smiles weakly as she takes a seat near the edge of the bed. She has long, dark hair that's similar to her wild curls and pale skin that seemed to glow with the light. 

"You're safe with us," she says. 

"Give them some time alone," a soft, stern voice comes from the woman in white and she ushers everyone out. 

She can't remember how she got there or what her name was. 

"What's... what's going...?" She tries to ask but her voice is raspy and cracks from lack of use. 

"We're trying to help you," the girl answers. "Do you remember anything?" 

She shakes her head. The girl sighs with relief. 

"Good," she mutters under her breath. "means it's working."  

Not remembering anything is a good thimg? She frowns at the girl sitting across from her.  

"What's working?" She asks. "What are you trying to help people from? 

The girl hesitates.

"From a deadly virius that scorched our world," the woman from before enters as the doors slide open. "Thank you, Teresa, Aida. You two have been extremely helpful to us. I hope you realize this." 

Aida? 

Teresa blushes and averts her eyes, "It was nothing, really."

"Now, you're just being modest," the woman smiles. "Aida, I'm afraid we have to move you somewhere so we can continue with your examination. You woke up too soon. "

Aida... was that her name? 

"Where?" 

"That is classified information, I apologise," the woman says with a stern frown on her red lips. "Will you come with us?"

She didn't have much of a choice, did she? 

She nods, hesitant to get out of the bed, but gets up and follows after them. It's awkward and uncomfortable standing in her hospital gown with people passing by and staring at her. 

The glaring white walls blinds her eyes. And as they're walking, she observes the rooms with glass windows. Goosebumps pricks her arms when she notices the name. WCKD. Sometimes there were even posters on the walls that said   
"W.I. C. K. E. D is good." There were so many guards around the area. How many did they need? 

She tenses. Something's wrong with this place. 

"We're here," the girl tries to smile at her but it's wrong on her face. 

It's just her, the other girl, and a couple of guards. She isn't sure if she could take them down... 

"Why are we really here?" She asks slowly. 

... but she had to try. 

"Wait, we're only trying to help you! Aida!"

She runs and doesn't look back. She only keeps going until she sees a large, circular door at the end of the hallway. Dead end. 

Alarms were blaring around her and she winces as a bright red light flashes on and off in the hallway. 

She reaches for the door, cursing in her head when it refuses to budge, and stiffens when she hears a click of a gun behind her. 

"You don't want to do that." 

"Open this door," she commands, wincing as her voice cracks.

"Listen," the voice says, male and young, hesitaintly. "I know you're confused and scared...but you have to trust me."

"How can I trust you with that thing in your hands?" She asks. 

Metal clinks against the marble floor behind her. She stiffens and slowly turns around to see who's talking to her. It's only a boy. He's slightly taller than her, had messy, dark hair and tired, brown eyes. 

"You don't want to go through that door, alright?" He continues. "Just... come with me, and we can work this out." 

"What's your name?" 

"It's Thomas," he answers. "Yours is... "

"Aida," she interrupts. 

He nods, eyes widening in disbelief, "They told you," she nods at this, eyeing him curiously. He didn't seem surprised by this. "Of course they did. Aida... we really are trying to help you." 

"You're helping me by stabbing needles in my arms?" 

"If it makes you feel any better, we're supposedly helping them save the world."

"Yeah, that's what your little girlfriend said to me earlier today," she tells him. He falters a bit when she mentions the other girl. She raises her eyebrows. 

"Are you really in any position to make threats?"

"Is it working?"

He pauses for a moment as if he were having a long, inner debate with himself. And he didn't like the answer that came up. 

"I'll distract them, you just keep running."

"Why are you helping me?" She asks him cautiously. 

He's a bit hesitant in his answer. As if he didn't really know himself. Or he knew they really weren't good deep down. 

"One of us has to be trustworthy, don't we?" 

"Sorry, Thomas," she apologizes. 

She takes the key card he's willingly giving to her and opens the circular door. He shoves her through roughly enough that she loses her balance and slides across the stone floor. 

It's so quiet she can hear her labored breathing as she walks down the walkway. She glances up at the tall walls, marveling at the ivy dripping down like rain. 

Then she hears it. 

Click. Click. Whir.   
Click. Click. Whir. 

She tenses as it gets closer and close. It's too dark to see anything. 

Click. Click. Whir.   
Click. Click. Whir. 

It's faint at first. A soft red light in the darkness. She squints and tilts her head to get a better look at it. But, as she moves closer, a loud roar startles her and a spider as tall as the walls above her jumps out of the shadows. She screams and nearly trips on her feet when she jumps back. Run, she tells herself. You have to run! 

Her feet refuse to budge. She had to force herself to move after the creature jumps at her and it gave her enough motivation. She runs blindly through the space between the tall walls, having no clue where she's going. She only knew that she had to keep going. 

She doesn't stop to see if it's following her or not. She didn't want to take the chance. 

"Why are the walls bloody moving?!"

"I don't know! They've never done that before! Not like that, at least."

Voices. She heard voices come from up ahead. She rounds the corner and sees a bunch of boys standing there in a large group, staring at the walls behind her. 

"Please...please, you have to help me!"

They immidiately turn at the sound of her voice and their eyes widen from shock as she quickly approaches them. 

"Holy shuck! Is that a--?"

"No, there's just no way!" 

"How the hell did she even get here?!" 

"Minho, are you seeing what I'm seeing?!" 

"Hey, slim it!" The asian boy shouts and they immidiately quiet down. He moves a bit closer towards her with caution and a guarded expression. "Who the shuck are you?" 

Any normal day, she would have chewed his head off. But not now. Not with those things chasing after her. 

"Aida...they called me Aida," she says breathlessly. 

"Well, Aida, looks like you're coming with us, " the boy says. "Just... just follow us, okay? We'll sort this all out." 

She nods and follows them, jumping when she hears the roar of a Griever. And a groan of metal doors sliding open. 

"Shuck, why are they opening again?!" 

"We need to move," Minho says. But the boys are gaping at the walls in silent wonder. "Move, you slintheads!" 

His yell being the group of boys back to reality and they're shouting over one another as they take off running once more. 

And truthfully, she wonders if she should have listened to the boy named Thomas as she reluctantly follows them to her new home.


	2. Chapter 2

There's so much green. 

It's much different than the metal walls she's used to at the facility. She glances back in time to see the Doors slowly closing behind her. Were these people being trapped inside? 

"Keep moving, Greenie," Minho tells her. "The others are gonna come by soon." 

Some boys had stopped what they were doing completely to gawk at her. They were whispering to one another. She stiffens as they point at her. Is she the only girl there?

Only one boy stands out to her the most because he is the only one who dares to run up to them. 

"What's going on, Minho?" He asks, narrowing his eyes at her. "Who the hell is she?"

She frowns back at him.

"Have you seen Alby?" Minho asks, hints of tiredness in his voice. 

"He's in the Homestead," the boy nods to a building in the distance.

"Thanks," Minho mutters. "Call everyone in for a Gathering." 

The lanky boy gives her one last look before nodding his head and running off, shouting orders to the other boys who were standing too far away, staring at them. Minho nods at Aida before they continue down the grassy terrain towards the tall building the boy pointed to. 

"What's going to happen now?" she asks softly. "Everyone's lookin' at me like I'm one of those things we just ran away from." 

"They were Grievers," Minho explains gravely. "You are a lucky shank, running away from them. How did you not get stung?"

She had no answer for him. She didn't even know those Grievers could sting people.

A boy with dark skin and a stern expression on his face comes into the room. He's taller than Minho and has a tense posture as he approaches them. 

"Hey, Newbie," he greets, nodding at her. "I'm Alby." 

She stiffens as both boys stare at her expectantly and clears her throat, "Nice to meet you, Alby." 

"Alright, first thing's first," he drawls as he leans forward against the table separating them. From what she's seen of him so far, he's the type of person to get straight to the point. "What do you remember? Do you remember anything from your past?"

She shakes her head. Every time she tries to remember something, she only got a headache. 

"I only remember my name," she answers.

"How did you get in the maze?" 

"I was...I was trapped in a room," she explains. "I don't know where I was...but they weren't good people. Someone helped me escape." 

"Anythin' else?" Alby prompts.

"Nothin'," she says exasperatedly. "Are we done?" 

"Not yet, Greenie," although he still has that stern expression on his face, which she believes is permanent,   
his dark eyes dance with amusement. "You called everyone for a Gathering yet?" 

Minho nods, "They should be rounding each other up right now like I told 'em to. I'm gonna go check up on 'em." 

She tenses as soon as Minho leaves the room, leaving her alone with Alby, who merely smirks at her. 

"You have nothin' to worry about, Greenie," he tells her as if to reassure her. "They're harmless...mostly." 

"Mostly?" She repeats skeptically.

"Well, most of 'em haven't seen a girl in years, just giving you a fair warning." 

Was he serious? She sends him a skeptic look and freezes as more boys start crowding the entire room. He was serious. There isn't a single girl except for herself. 

And as soon as they saw her, they started pointing at her and whispering over one another. Each one of them in disbelief. 

"Holy shuck, you weren't lying!" 

"I told ya so." 

"No wonder why a Greenie didn't come up this month, I was getting worried there for a second."

"When are you not worried, Henry?"

"Good that." 

The amount of people talking at once overwhelms her. And the room got as hot as it was outside due to the body heat. It smells awful, probably from working out in the sun for too long. 

"Hey, slim it!" Alby shouts and everyone quiets down. "Give the Greenie some room to breathe!" 

They do as they're told almost instantly and she throws him a grateful look which he nods at. 

"She came from the maze, is she still considered a greenie?" Minho asks. It's the first time she's heard him speak since Alby started interrogating her. 

"Why do you keep callin' me a greenie?" she bravely asks but shrinks underneath everyone's penetrating stare. 

"It's what we always call new people," Minho says when Alby doesn't say anything. "the name just sort of stuck." 

"I have a name," she reminds them. 

"Look, you're the only one who came from the maze, Greenie," Alby says, putting more emphasis on the word 'Greenie' than necessary. "that's never happened before. Greenies always come from the box no matter what." 

"Well, she didn't really come from the bloody box, Alby," the blond speaks up for the first time since he came in. Alby glares at him but doesn't say anything. "You know this changes everything." 

"No, no way," A boy stands up. It's the boy from before. She stares at him curiously. "Is she really getting special treatment just because she came from the maze?" 

"What are you talking about?" She asks the boy with a small frown.

He turns towards her and meets her gaze for a few seconds before he glances away, shaking his head. 

"How well do you know the maze?" Minho asks. 

"Not very well," she admits. "It's sort of hard to remember where you're going when you're runnin' for your life." 

"Oh, that's rich and you still wanna make her a Runner?" the boy asks in disbelief.

"I'm making her a Runner because she knows the maze," Minho argues. "She had to come from somewhere. And that's our ticket out of here. You got any other suggestions, eyebrows?"

The boy merely glares at him, "Yeah, I got a suggestion for you, klunkhead, how about you shove --" 

"Slim it, Gally," Alby interrupts him. 

"Sure thing, Mr Leader," Gally mocks, saluting him.

Gally. Finally. A name to a blank face. A name she's sure to hate for a long time. 

"Well, how 'bout it?" Alby asks more gentler than before. "Do ya think ya have what it takes to be a Runner?" 

She shakes her head, "No, no, no, you people are crazy if you think I'm goin' back there!" she exclaims.

She might have forgotten her memories but she would never forget the disappointment in their eyes when she said no. How could they make her go back there? She had been running for her life. Now they want her to go back to the place she escaped from? Had she been wrong to put her complete trust in them? 

But, the more she thinks on it, the more she realizes that she doesn't know how long they've been trapped here. Is that why they were so desperate to get away? Were they secretly scared like her and didn't want to admit it? 

"You can take all the time you want," Minho sighs heavily. Alby glances over at him, looking half ready to chew him out. "It's like you always say, right? If you ain't scared, you ain't human." 

Alby's lips press together tightly, "alright...alright, you don't have to be a Runner if you don't want to, okay, Greenie?" 

She stiffens at the looks sent her way. Would it really be her fault if she didn't help them? They were just as scared of those monsters as she is. 

"Welcome to your new home, Aida," Minho tries to smile at her but it doesn't fully reach his eyes. 

Why doesn't she feel welcome then?  
She finds herself glancing over at the boy named Gally only to find him staring right back. There's no malice in his eyes even if his stern face and overall attitude showed it. 

They're staring at each other for a few more seconds before Minho leads her out of the room.

She definitely did not feel welcome in this place.


	3. Chapter 3

The Homestead is usually where we all sleep," Minho's voice brings her out of her thoughts and she glances over at him as they walk. "There's a separate floor for all of the Keepers. You'll be sleeping there. Ah! Here you are!" 

 

They stop at a door and when Minho opens it Aida's nose crinkles. It's slightly bigger than the room she slept in at the facility. And she'd rather be here than surrounded by white walls and needles pressed into her arms so she doesn't complain. 

 

"You don't really like it here, do you?" 

 

"That obvious, huh?" She grimaces. 

 

"Only a lot," Minho nods

 

"I'm really sorry." And she truly is.

 

He sends her a puzzled frown before realization dawns on him, "Don't worry about it so much," he reassures her. Somehow, she still doesn't feel reassured. She let them all down. "Most of us were too scared to even go inside the maze when we first came here." 

 

"You're gonna do just fine, Greenie." 

 

"Really wish people would stop calling me that," she sighs. 

 

"Better get used to it," Minho says. "you're gonna have to deal with it for the rest of your life." 

 

"Really?" 

 

"Nah, just until the next Greenie comes," Minho laughs at the exasperation on her face."You aren't that special." 

 

"Gee thanks, I feel so much better," she says dryly.

 

"Oh good, it was supposed to make you feel better," Minho counters.

 

"See ya later... klunkhead," she loses her confidence as soon as she said one of their slang words. 

 

Minho stares at her in surprise before bursting out laughing. Her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he pats her shoulder, "Yeah, you'll definitely be fine here. So...feel like heading down to dine with us? I promise we won't bite." 

 

Her stomach tightens at the thought of food. If she ate, she wouldn't be able to stomach it and probably throw it all up.

 

"I'll pass, thanks," she grimaces. 

 

"Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind." 

 

She smiles, watching him as he disappears into the hallway. She takes a look around once more, admiring the wooden walls and matching floors. Whoever designed this place put a lot of thought and effort into it. She sits on top of the bed, quietly listening to the laughter and loud cheers outside. She isn't alone anymore. And the thought is oddly comforting. 

 

*

 

"Hope you had a good night's sleep, Greenie," Alby greets her for the day. "You ready for the day?" 

 

Aida groans in reply. She did not have a good night's sleep. Far too worried about getting caught and what they had in store for her. 

 

"So, there are at least seven jobs in the Glade," Alby gets straight to the point. Something that she likes but can't stand when she's half asleep still. "You can either be a Builder, a Runner, a Cook, a Med-jack, a Caretaker, or a Track Hoe. Or if all else fails, you can be a Slopper and, trust me, you do not want to be one." 

 

She flinches as soon as she walks outside and has to shield her eyes from the sun. Already, the heat is becoming too unbearable for her skin. Alby snickers in amusement and she opens her eyes to glade at them. How did they deal with this every single day? She already wants to go back inside to her shady room. 

 

"Yeah, it does take some time to get used to," Alby breaks the silence. "But the heat isn't the worst of it." 

 

She's too nervous to ask what the worst part is. Her eyes dart across the Glade, seeing boys tending to the gardens, hanging out in the fields, and in the tree house. 

 

She didn't see any sign of the boy who saved her. 

 

"Lookin' for somebody in particular?" Alby asks. 

 

She jumps and turns at his voice. She'd almost forgotten that he was standing with her. He raises his eyebrows at her. 

 

"No Minho today?" 

 

He grins at her, "you got a crush or somethin'?" 

 

She frowns at him. 

 

"He's out running today," Alby says. "He probably won't be comin' back until the sun sets. 'Til then, let's go find you a job, shall we?" 

 

Alby walks inside the tent first and she follows after him. 

 

"Hey, Gally...Gally!" 

 

The tall, bulky boy turns towards them and raises his eyebrows at her as soon as they enter the tent. His friends were slightly taller than him and she tenses as they stare her down. 

 

"Oh, this should be good," one of the boys looking over a drawing snickers. 

 

Gally folds his arms across his chest and makes a gesture to Alby to show he's listening to him.

 

"Got a Greenie here that has the muscles to be a Builder." 

 

Gally gives her a skeptic look. She holds her head up high but hesitates when everyone in the room turns to look at her. She glances down at her arms, they were just as dark as the boy she stood next to, and found that there were no muscles to be found. She gives Alby a look of disbelief, just as skeptic as the boy in front of her. 

 

"Alright, let's see what you can do," Gally sighs. "We'll take it from here, Mr. Leader." 

 

Alby shakes his head and mutters a soft "good luck" to her as he passes by her and heads out the door. Somehow, that didn't make her feel any better than Minho's pep talk from the day before. 

 

His two goons laugh at her. 

 

"Did I really hear Alby right?" the boy on Gally's left asks. "That tiny thing is gonna be a Builder?" 

 

"Girls are useless...like a pile of klunk." 

 

"So are you," Gally intervenes, frowning at him. "but you don't hear me complaining."

 

The boy turns a bright red, matching the shade of his hair. Honestly, he could have a sun burn and she wouldn't tell the difference, "Yeah? Well...man, whatever." 

 

"Come on, Jack, let's get out of here," the boy urges tugs on his friend's sleeves and they bolt out the door.

 

Aida stares after them, shaking her head. She had enough on her plate. She didn't need to worry about them. She turns towards Gally who's already staring at her. But he looks deep in thought.

 

"Alright," Gally starts out awkwardly. "If you're going to be a Builder, drawing isn't the only skill you need. You also need to be able to lift over 20 pounds. Let's see if Alby's right about that muscle strength. " 

  
Aida winces.

She yanks one of the planks from the pile, letting out a small "oof" as she carries it in her arms, which had begun to shake violently. Gally's mouth parts as he gawks at her as if he were impressed. But, then the large pile starts to fall...right in her direction.

She cries out, accidentally dropping the plank near her feet, and Gally immediately rushes to help her. She didn't have time to move over. Her jaw drops as he shoves her and grabs the planks.

She's speechless. She just witnessed a boy stop a large, heavy pile of wooden planks and place them all back like it was no big deal for him. She couldn't even pick up one of them. How? How did he--?

She underestimated him. He had to be a leader for a reason. How can he do that every day?

"You alright?"

She's shaking still but she manages a quick nod.

"That was...surprisingly nice of you." 

"Yeah, don't expect it to happen again, Greenie," he shrugs. "that's a one time thing. Maybe we'll stay away from large, heavy objects from now on. They're too much for you to handle." 

It's only day two and she's already sick of his attitude. 

"I want to know what's your problem," she frowns at him. 

"You think you can just waltz in here and start bossing everyone around, Greenbean?" He glares at her. "I don't think so." 

"I don't believe you for one second, Gally. Wait, your name's Gally, isn't it?" There were too many names for her to remember. 

"It's Captain Gally to you, Greenbean," he smiles coyly at her. 

"Well, sorry, _Captain_ _,_ " she emphasizes his nickname a bit more than necessary which makes his smile vanish, "I just thought you should know, _Captain,_ that you are being a _klunkhead_." 

She only remembers the word from when he insulted Minho. Their slang felt odd coming from her own mouth. It's even weirder hearing them say it. And she had a feeling that it's something she's going to have to get used to. 

He has the decency to look ashamed of himself. His face is a bit red though and she didn't know if it was from the sunlight or embarrassment. 

"You really that scared of the maze?" 

"Are you mocking me, Captain?" she challenges. 

"Not mocking, just genuinely confused," Gally admits.

She's taken aback by his answer. Anger disappears from his face, replaced by curiosity. She didn't understand him. Or his hostility. Maybe it was just a 'man' thing. 

"Why should I tell you?" 

"Okay, was the sass really needed?" Gally frowns.

"It was totally needed, Captain," she salutes him mockingly. "Good day." 

"Just get out of here," Gally sighs. "You're not meant to be a Builder." 

Aida huffs and walks out without saying anything more. Gally's constant mood swings gave her a headache. 

"So...how'd it go?"Alby drawls out the word 'so' longer than necessary, casually leaning against the tent. 

She frowns at him before giving him a sheepish look, "I don't think I'm meant to be a Builder." 

He gives her a dry look, "No kidding," and rolls his eyes at her meek smile. "I came running over here as soon as I heard the crash." 

Her cheeks are a bit warmer than usual as she avoids his gaze. 

"That wasn't my fault," she stammers. It was, her mind thinks instead. "It was Gally. He provoked me!" 

Lies. And he probably knew. 

Alby smirks at her. She's not sure if she likes the knowing look in his dark eyes or not. 

"We'll try again later. And for the love of god, will you try to get along with at least one of them?" 

"I can't make any promises, Alby." 


	4. Chapter 4

Alby leads her back to the Homestead, where a group of boys were gathering near a table. They were as rowdy as ever, shouting over one another as they stood in line. 

 

"Hey, Greenie!" A familiar voice shouts at her. 

 

She has to stand on her tiptoes to see who called for her. Her lips quirk up when she notices Minho in the large crowd. The blond boy sitting beside him didn't appreciate his friend standing up so suddenly and gives him an unamused look. 

 

"Can I--?" She asks sheepishly and nods over to the two. 

 

"Well, we ain't done giving you the tour yet," he says. His entire demeanour is intimidating but his dark eyes tell a whole different story. He grins. "Go ahead, Greenie."

 

"Aida," she stresses her name. 

 

"Whatever you say, Greenie," he dismisses her and walks over to where a boy with dark skin and an apron over his shirt stood. Trays of food spread out in front of him. 

 

"Heard you gave Gally a run for his money," Minho greets as she takes a seat across from him.

 

"Where'd you hear that?" 

 

"Alby," Minho and the boy next to him say in unison, startling her. 

 

"Name's Newt," the blond introduces himself. He grins and waves at her. 

 

"Mine's Aida," she greets back, returning his smile as she takes the vacant seat across from them. "Heard you two were out running today." 

 

"Oh yeah, it's load of fun," Newt says dryly. "The best part is coming back to the Glade. Right, Minho?" 

 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Minho says with an innocent expression. "I had a blast running with the Grievers." 

  
"You two are crazy," she shakes her head. "going in there with those things chasing you."

"They don't normally chase us all the time," Minho confesses. "They usually come out when we're getting close to something someone doesn't want us to see." 

"Thankfully we don't run into them too often," Newt says before gulping down some water. "I don't think any of us are capable of taking down a Griever."

"What happens when they get you?" 

"You get stung," he says. A troubled expression spreads across his face as he absentmindedly twirls the red cup in his hands. "Worst case scenario is dying before you get the serum."

"Dude, really? I'm eating here!"

"She asked, I'm just telling the truth," Newt replies, raising his arms up in defense as if asking for peace.

Minho rolls his eyes,"Just change the subject please before I lose my dinner."

"I'm sorry for asking," she's quick to apologize, sensing the tension between them.

Newt's eyes soften in her direction. Minho stopped picking at his food with his fork. There's a troubled expression on his face. Newt looks up suddenly and raises his eyebrows at someone behind her.

"Don't look now but he's looking over here," Newt mutters. 

 

She whirls around and sees Gally leaning against the wall with his arms folded and a red cup in his hands. He wore his usual frown and appeares to be deep in thought as if he were trying hard to remember something.

 

"He always like that?" She questions. 

 

"Nope," Minho answers with a soft snicker,"Last week, he actually smiled!" 

 

"It nearly gave us all bloody heart attacks," Newt says, without missing a beat. 

 

She cracks a grin when the two boys giggle under their breaths. The tension between them lightens slightly but is still there as their laughter dues down. 

 

"Don't mind him though," Newt reassures her. "If you don't bother him, he won't bother you." 

 

"Got it," she nods. 

 

"Damn, what did you do to set him off?" Minho asks through mouthfuls of food. She wrinkles her nose as some of it flies from his mouth and on to the table. He smiles sheepishly, "Sorry. Seriously though, I haven't seem him so ticked off since the last Greenie punched him in the face."

 

"Learnt our lesson that one time," Newt pipes up. "Stay away when the next Greenie comes, alright?" 

 

"Why?" She frowns. 

 

"Lets just say, people go a bit crazy when they're scared," Newt continues. 

 

She could understand that ... in a way. She definitely wasn't in her right state of mind when she ran through the maze. 

 

"Do you really think I should have been a runner?" She asks. 

 

She notices the hesitation on their faces and the way they suddenly close off as they glance at one another. 

 

"It's like Alby said," Newt says. "You don't have to if you don't want to. But...could you at least try and consider it?" 

 

They have been stuck here for much longer than she has. So she doesn't know what life was like in the Glade yet. Who knows how long they've been searching for a way to escape. And truthfully she doesn't know if she should tell them what was on the other side of the maze. Or if being in that facility was just as bad as being in the Glade. 

 

"I'll think about it," she sighs. 

 

Newt mimics her. The light in his brown eyes dull slightly as his smile becomes strained. And she wonders what's on his mind. 

 

"Hey Greenie!" 

 

The trio look up at the sound of Alby's voice. He's waving at her from the large table by the Homestead. 

 

"Better go see what he wants," Newt nods over at the boy. "An angry Alby is an annoying Alby." 

 

Minho bursts out laughing beside him, almost choking on his food but prevents it by drinking some water. Newt throws him an amused look as he slaps him on the back.

 

"I'll keep that in mind," Aida laughs, "Nice meeting you, Newt," she gets up from the bench and smiles at him. 

 

"Likewise, Greenie," Newt smiles back at her.

 

"Aida," she reminds him. He merely shrugs and continues to tend to his friend's coughing fit. 

 

Unbelievable. At this point her name is lost on these boys. She shakes her head and walks over to the two boys by the kitchen, quickly, so she can avoid all the stares sent her way. 

 

"Finally," Alby taps his foot impatiently. "What, did you get lost on the way here?" 

 

She huffs at him. Did he not see all the boys everywhere? They were multiplying by the minute! 

 

"This here is Frypan," Alby claps the boy's shoulder blade with a grin on his face. "your new boss for tomorrow." 

  
"Hey there Greenbean, nice to finally meet ya," the boy with the apron over his shirt smiles at her as he stirs. She glances over at what's in the pot. Some kind of burning liquid. Soup, maybe?

"Nice to meet you too," she nods, smiling back. "What's cooking? Smells pretty good."

"Chicken broth," he answers. "It's become a favorite lately."

Aida's mouth drops into an 'o' shape as  she watches him stir.

"They giving you trouble over your name?" Frypan asks, giving her a knowing look.

"Yeah," Aida replies. "Makes me wish the new Greenie would show up already."

Frypan throws his head back in a laugh," Don't you worry about it, newbie," he says, patting her shoulder sympathetically. "most of these guys have already memorized it by now."

"Practically gave us all a fright when you showed up," Alby speaks up. "How can we not remember it?"

Aida gives him a deadpan expression.

"You'll have to excuse him," Frypan says. "He has too many names to remember. Plus, he has a big head since he became the new leader."

"Excuse me? I'm the leader now," Alby frowns at him. "I have the power to demote you from Keeper."

"Yeah, and I have the power to spit in your food if I wanted to," Frypan mutters.

Aida snorts, overhearing him by accident.

"What did you say, you shank?" Alby bristles.

"I said, I'd be happy to show the Greenie the ropes," Frypan says with an innocent smile. Alby raises his brow.

"Ugh, just be prepared for tomorrow morming," Alby comments. "We don't need the Homestead blowing up right now."

"It was an accident, _Alby,"_ she emphasizes his name more than necessary which prompts him to roll his eyes.

"See ya around, _Greenie,_ " he mimics her tone. "Hopefully you don't blow up the kitchen."

She stares after him in disbelief as a boy with blond hair, a shade lighter than Newt's, and green eyes walks up to Alby and their fists bump as they talk to each other. She shakes her head.

"Well, aren't ya hungry?" Frypan's voice jolts her put of her thoughts.

Her stomach growls, earning an amused grin from the boy across from her. She smiles sheepishly. She hasn't eaten anything since she first arrived at the Glade. She takes the tray, greatful as the smell of chicken mocks her.

"Thank you," she tells him.

"No problem. See you in the flip side, Greenie," Frypan waves with the whisk still in his hand.

"Sure thing!"

She grabs her tray and heads back to Newt and Minho and stops herself when she notices Gally still standing with a cup in his hands and a frown on his face. Odd. Is he usually that quiet?

She bites her lip. She's going to regret doing this. But...she's too curious to let her thoughts slip by. Plus, she didn't want him to stay mad at her forever.

"Hey, Captain Klunkhead!" She exclaims, walking towards him.

 

He jumps at her voice and stares at her with wide eyes as if he wasn't expecting her to show up. 

 

"Yeah?" He asks. He's hesitant and cautious. "What do you want?" 

 

"Look, I don't really want any problems between us, Gally," she tries to reason. "I just want to know what I did." 

  
"It's nothing personal," he shrugs. "I just don't like you."

She sighs. She respects his honesty. You can't get along with everyone, she reminds herself.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about the planks," she smiles sheepishly.

 

She could have sworn she saw a ghost of a grin on his face when she mentioned the planks. 

  
"Don't worry about it," he smirks. "Its not like I expected you to lift all of them on your first try."

"Yeah, how the hell did you do that?" She asks, "I couldn't even lift one of them."

"You'll never know." he says with a smirk. "Now get out of my sight, Greenbean."

"Gladly, Captain Klunkhead," she gives him an awkward salute, nearly dropping her tray as she walks towards Newt and Minho. They weren't friends but they were less tense around each other than before.

She could handle that. 


End file.
